That's no longer a problem after Saturday's game against Tennessee, however.

Clowney laid into Tennessee running back Rajion Neal on Saturday, decking him before he had a chance to blink and dropping him in the backfield for a three-yard loss.

GIF Credit: ESPN

All the traits that have NFL teams drooling at his pro potential were evident on this one play. He completely out-quicked the left tackle before locking onto the running back, and once Neal was in his sights, there was no escaping the powerful defender.

Talk about reinvigorating the hype machine—Clowney's hit kicked it into overdrive.

That said, it's important to realize that regardless of how much hype Clowney receives in the media he's an elite NFL prospect, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller alluded to on Saturday:

All the people backpedaling RE: Clowney now. Build up, tear down and now he's back. Guess what? He never left.